SIFE Training Conference
This past Saturday, four Georgia Southern Students (Matt Chambers; Edio Del Castanhel Filho; Jevon Thomas; and, Ross Foskey) from the SIFE organization went to the University of North Florida (UNF) in Jacksonville for the Walgreens’ SIFE Team Training Conference. The conference was divided in four areas, including 101 The Basics, 201 Project Management, 301 Leadership Training and 401 Career Development. For the students unfamiliar with SIFE, the 101 area was a tremendous opportunity to learn more about SIFE, about the competition, to familiarize themselves with the SIFE team model and to learn how to build sustainable projects.
For the students already familiar with the organization, the other areas went deeper and gave them new ideas. During the 201 session, students had the opportunity to learn about development, management, and tracking of SIFE team projects with a lecture from John M. Watson, from the Project Management Institute.
In the 301 area students who were already familiar with SIFE and had a leadership role in their SIFE Teams learnt about how to develop leadership skills and increase their team’s productivity. The lecture was presented by Dale Carnegie Training and it focused on SIFE Project Partnerships, including with companies such as Wal-Mart and HSBC.
The 401 area helped students who wanted to better prepare themselves for internships and full-time career opportunities. Students learnt about resumes, interviewing and how to utilize social media when searching for a job.
The event was very organized, fun, and provided the attendees with valuable information that they can use for the advancement of their clubs and future careers. Fred Hulett from the Dale Carnegie Institute had amazing presentations on topics such as Establishing An Effective Team, and How Conflict Inhibits Growth. With incredible energy and passion, Mr. Hulett reminded his audience that strong relationships and team accountability are key aspects of establishing an optimal team atmosphere. Perhaps the most powerful message of his lectures though was that “people support a world they help create”, so as leaders we must empower others so that they develop an appreciation for the overall goal of the team to guarantee success.
A sincere thank you goes out to the organizers, sponsors and professionals that made this training conference so successful.
Posted in Clubs